Boulder Creek Parks taking to the airwaves?

BOULDER CREEK -- Aspiring announcers and DJs in the San Lorenzo Valley might want to hone their pipes, with a new radio station possibly coming online later this year.

President Barack Obama signed the Local Community Radio Act into law last month, opening space on the airwaves for thousands of low-power FM stations.

The number of those small, 100-watt stations was previously limited, because large broadcasters said their frequencies would interfere with their own programming, according to The Prometheus Radio Project, a nonprofit that advocates for community radio stations.

Opening the airwaves to these new operators will provide a venue for bands to broadcast their music from Boulder Creek to Felton, and for community groups, schools and churches to discuss their issues and alert listeners to upcoming meetings and events.

The licenses, authorized for noncommercial educational broadcasting only, will be issued by the Federal Communications Commission. A specific deadline for applications to be turned in has not yet been set, but it likely will be in mid-October, according to the FCC. A spokesperson said the number of stations that will be available has yet to be determined.

Meanwhile, the Boulder Creek Recreation and Parks District Board will discuss the issue at Wednesday's﻿ meeting. Former board member Paul Storm said owning and operating a radio station has been on the district's strategic plan for years. He said he first brought up the idea more than a decade ago, but "the last filing window (at the FCC) was in 2000, so up until now, it hasn't been possible."

The license filing fee is nominal, but the district would need to purchase and set up the equipment, at a cost Storm estimated at $10,000.

But board member Tess Fitzgerald, who also sits on the board for Community Television of Santa Cruz County, is taking a more circumspect approach, saying she's open to the possibility but concerned about free speech issues that might arise.

While there is value in community media, she said, "we're a recreation district" and "I just don't know that it's going to be a good fit for the kind of organization we are, and then the infrastructure to sustain it."

WHAT: District board members will discuss applying for an application to operate a low-power FM radio station.WHEN: 7 p.m. WednesdayWHERE: District office, 13333 Middleton Ave., Boulder CreekINFORMATION: 831-338-4144